The paradigm of modern telecommunication network enables a single network to provide voice, video, data and integrated multimedia services. Accordingly, these networks are characterized by a hybrid architecture combining circuit-switched and packet-switched networks. Among main drivers for deployment of such hybrid networks (e.g. 3G mobile networks, emerging next generation networks, etc.) are video-based applications, such as, for example, video conferencing, video telephone conversation, video streaming, video messaging, interactive video-content delivery, and others.
The problem of providing video-based services over a hybrid network has been recognized in the Prior Art and various systems have been developed to provide a solution, for example:
US Patent Application No. 2008/034,396 (Lev Zvi) entitled “System and method for video distribution and billing” discloses a system for distribution of video and audio data, and multiple methods for using video and audio data, including, among others, methods for optimizing use of mobile radio bandwidth, optimizing use of technical limitations in wireless devices, for allowing users to use premium SMS to interact with the data distribution system, and for verifying the status of a user.
US Patent Application No. 2005/259,601 (Fisher, et al) entitled “Video conferencing over public network” discloses a method of handling video signals by a gateway. The method includes receiving by a gateway between a land cellular network and a public switched telephone network, video signals of a real time session from an end unit, reducing the rate of the video signals and transmitting the rate reduced video signals onto a channel passing through a public switched telephone network.
US Patent Application No. 2007/165,598 (Hynonen et al.) entitled “Intelligent multimedia calls” discloses a method of setting up and/or controlling a multimedia call involving an H.324 enabled user terminal and a circuit switched connection terminating at the user terminal and at a video gateway, the method comprising: sending DTMF control signals over the circuit switched connection within H.245 protocol control messages; and on the basis of said DTMF control signals, routing or re-routing the connection to an appropriate data source or mapping the connection to an appropriate data source.
US Patent Application No. 2007/177,616 (Wong et al.) entitled “Interactive multimedia exchange architecture and services” discloses a method of communicating media using a multimedia terminal, the method comprising: receiving, at a multimedia exchange server, a request to establish a communication link between the multimedia terminal and the multimedia exchange server; establishing the communication link between the multimedia terminal and the multimedia exchange server; receiving, at the multimedia exchange server, a first media stream from the multimedia terminal; transmitting a second media stream from the multimedia exchange server to a device; transmitting an interactive menu from the multimedia exchange server to the multimedia terminal; and receiving, at the multimedia terminal, one or more user inputs in response to the interactive menu, wherein the multimedia exchange server is responsive to the one or more user inputs. The multimedia terminal comprises at least one of a 3G phone, a 3G server, or a 3G gateway.